Dessert Time
by Sheankelor
Summary: Harry cooks, Severus doesn't. Harry promised to make dessert for the next dinner at the Weasley family get together and gets called into work. He asks Severus to make something, and then starts to worry. Is what Severus makes edible? The Weasleys are suitably concerned.


_Hi everyone! This one was written because it just had to be. I was skimming the prompts for the Snape-Potter Snarry-a-Thon and it jumped off the screen, grabbed my hands and forced me to type it. It was a problem since I had already claimed a different prompt. That said, it was done and accepted. Raya Light was nice enough to edit this and Badgerlady as well as Torino also took it in hand to make it that much better. Enjoy!_

_Dessert Time _

Harry stood in the kitchen, staring at the letter that had fallen to the counter. He couldn't say no. There was no way that he could not show up. Severus would understand. It was work related.

Picking up the letter to show just in case he needed proof, Harry walked down the hall and opened the study door. "Severus."

The dark head lifted and the quill paused its tip just above the surface of the parchment that it had been writing on a moment before. "Is breakfast ready?"

Harry bit his lips slightly and shook his head. "No, I just received a missive from work. They need me to come in now."

As Severus blinked, Harry could swear he could see the question about what was going to happen with breakfast in the still groggy face. "There is toast and tea ready and fruit in the fridge."

Severus nodded slowly as he asked, "How long are you going to be gone?"

Harry felt his hands tremble slightly before he answered. "I should be home in time to clean up and head off to dinner at the Burrow."

Black eyes narrowed on him, and Harry knew that Severus remembered the promise that he had made. "I know that I told Mum Weasley that I would make dessert for tonight. I am sorry, Severus, I hate to ask you," he stopped a moment, twisting the letter up tight in his hands, "but could you make something? It doesn't have to be anything extravagant. Biscuits, pudding, a cake... something easy."

Severus looked at the list that he had been checking off before turning his gaze back to Harry. He could tell that Harry was anxious, and it made him want to roll his eyes. It wasn't Harry's fault that he was called in. "I will put something together, Harry, don't worry. I'll see you when you get back. Hurry up, or the place will fall even further apart."

Relief washed over Harry's face as he crossed the room. Smiling down into his lover's upturned eyes, he dropped a kiss onto those thin lips. "Thanks, Severus. I'll get home as quick as possible."

Severus followed him out to the kitchen, hunting down the tea and toast.

Ô.Õ & õ.õ

Harry looked at Ron and Hermione, worry worming its way through his chest. "Severus is a Potions Master. He should be able to cook a simple dessert."

Hermione looked at the stack of papers sitting on the desk between them. "When was the last time he cooked, Harry?"

Harry searched his memory before paling. "I've never seen him cook. I make everything that is eaten unless we get out to eat. I even make his lunch before I leave and put it in the fridge. He cleans the house, I cook. It's been that way since we became a couple."

Hermione nodded. "I thought so. Harry, Severus might not know how to cook."

"But he is a Potions Master!" Harry leaned forward, his eyes searching the expressions of his two best friends. "It should be a snap for him to follow a recipe."

Ron nodded slowly as he watched his friend carefully. "You are right, he is a Potions Master, but Harry... potions aren't made to taste good. He might not realize he should taste things as he goes. You don't taste test potions, that can be dangerous."

Harry blanched and fell back into his seat. If whatever Severus made for the Weasley dinner tasted bad, it would hurt his partner. The man had exacting standards. "We need to get this done and quickly. I need to get home."

Hermione patted his hand lightly. "Pick up a cake on the way to the Burrow if you notice a problem. We'll explain that work called us in."

Slightly mollified, they got busy.

Ô.Õ & õ.õ

Severus looked about the kitchen, part of his mind railing about having to bake today when his brewing calendar was full. Sighing lightly, he let the frustration go. He would just have to rearrange his schedule. It wasn't often Harry asked a favor of him._ 'Biscuits, pudding or cake. Those were Harry's suggestions. Not biscuits, Molly has those in the house most of the time. I could make pudding.'_

His eyes widened as a thought sparked to life in his mind. He was making the dessert for the Weasleys, but more specifically for Molly and Arthur. Those two had supported Harry's and his relationship from day one. The Wizarding world had learned very quickly that taking on Molly Weasley when she had nothing holding her back was not the smartest thing. During the years that Harry was a student, she had to hold her tongue. War and the fact that Harry wasn't her biological child had made her not confront the papers. Severus was fairly certain that the War was the main issue, for the moment the papers started their slander attack on him and Harry about their relationship, Molly, backed by Arthur, had filed suit and the papers backtracked as fast and as hard as they could.

Setting the idea of a basic pudding or cake aside, Severus decided to make a pudding that he hadn't made in over a decade. It took but a minute in the kitchen to ascertain that he needed to go shopping for the ingredients to make enough for the entire Weasley clan. Heading into his lab, he checked on the other ingredients, noting that he had plenty. Rummaging though a storage cupboard, he found the cauldrons he would need: the little ones, at least. He had long since used the large one for brewing. That one would need to be replaced or there would be an unwanted visit to St Mungo's at best.

List complete, Severus headed out to Diagon Alley. He had some shopping to do.

Ô.Õ & õ.õ

Severus set the new cauldron, with its lid, on the table. Turning around, he looked around the kitchen trying to find a place to set the fire for the cauldron that Harry wouldn't give him fits about later. Compressing his lips together, he made a quick decision.

Picking up the cauldron, he headed for his lab. In no time he had the large cauldron half filled with water and over a fire. Picking up three thin wire holders, he hung them so that they went over the top of the water, not quite touching it. They would hold his small cauldrons partially out of the water. The entire set up was part of a specialized brewing kit for potions that needed to brew in a hot water bath instead of directly on the flame.

Taking the tiny cauldrons out into the kitchen, Severus began to prepare his pudding. When he had first heard of cauldron cakes, he had honestly thought that they were made in cauldrons over a fire. He had learned later that they were made in cauldron forms in an oven, but before that revelation, he had figured out how to make this cake.

It was a Muggle cake that Mother and Father had enjoyed, and, truthfully, Severus was surprised it had never made its way into Albus' office. It was basically a baked pudding, but went by the name of Lava Cake, or Molten Cake. He personally had been taken with the name Lava Cake, and had tweaked the recipe just a touch to help the cake live up to that name.

He mixed the ingredients together carefully and added a small series of tasteless potions ingredients. Carefully filling the nine tiny cauldrons, Severus cast a chilling spell on them. He just didn't have time to put them in the fridge for half an hour as he typically did. He took them into his lab and, using the tongs, he set the cauldrons into the wire holders and put the lid on the large cauldron. He had just enough time to mix up the next batch before this one came out.

Twenty minutes later, Severus was carefully removing the cakes from their cauldrons before refilling them. Each cake had a stasis spell cast upon it, holding it at the optimal temperature. After the last ones were cooked, Severus made up a large batch of whipped cream and put a dollop on the top of each little cake. He then put different fruits on top of the cream - some had cherries with cherry juice drizzled over the cream, others had oranges with their juice drizzled, still others had pineapples as well as some bananas. He made sure that a fruit that everyone liked was there. After locking each creation under its own stasis spell, overriding his one on just the cakes, he looked at the trays on the counter and smiled. He was done.

Heading back into his lab, he cleaned up his cooking corner and started on his brew schedule. He was going to have to work to the best of his ability today to finish in time to get ready.

Ô.Õ & õ.õ

Harry groaned as he ran a hand over his face. No matter how fast they had worked, he was still outside his door with only a half hour before it was time to head to the Burrow. Opening the door, he dropped his robe on its hook and headed into his kitchen with trepidation.

He didn't know what to expect, but it wasn't what he found. The area was spotless, no surprise there, but the trays of little cakes on the counter had his eyes going round. Moving quickly to Severus' lab, Harry opened the door, searched the room for the man who had created this, and spotted the look of fierce concentration on Severus' face. His question didn't leave his lips as he saw the amount of work that was spread over every surface of the room

Severus felt Harry at his door as he labeled his vials. Somehow he had completed ninety percent of his brewing schedule, and a sense of accomplishment filled him. Not looking up, he called over to Harry, knowing that the man was insatiably curious. "Do not touch a single cake on the tray, Harry. Go get cleaned up, I'll be out in a moment."

"I won't touch them, Severus." Harry spun about and headed for their bathroom. He had wondered if Severus had purchased the dessert when he had first spotted the trays, but the tone as well as the state of the man's lab told him differently.

Ô.Õ & õ.õ

Dinner was as good as could be expected. Harry smiled as he ate every delicious bite. The smile faded slightly when he caught Ron and Hermione's gaze. All three were worried over the desserts that were sitting on the counter. Molly had exclaimed over how pretty the tiny cakes looked, but all it took was one mention that Severus was responsible for them for the rest of the family to act a bit hesitant.

Severus tried not to roll his eyes when Molly asked who was ready for dessert and not one person volunteered. "I'll take one with the cherries, please, Molly."

Harry darted a look over at Severus before asking for one with pineapple. Ron and Hermione were next, followed slowly by the rest of the family.

George touched his whipped cream with his fork, breaking the stasis charm, only to jerk back in surprise. Out of the center of the whipped cream mound, a reddish brown chocolate bubbled out and leaked over the sides, hardening into a chocolate coat encasing the cream and fruit.

Severus watched as the children did it next and savored their happy surprised looks as the chocolate erupted from theirs as well. That was the change he had made. The part of the pudding that was nearest the coldest point would force its way out of the baked pudding which was under the whipped cream. It had taken him almost a year to perfect the eruption so that it would cool with the flavor unchanged. Touching his, he enjoyed the eruption and then dug into his Lava Cake.

Hermione cut into the center of her cake and felt her smile broaden. There was a warm pudding center flowing out onto the plate. "I didn't know that there was a Wizarding version of a Lava Cake." As she took a bite, she looked over at Severus. Savouring the delicious chocolate flavour, she was positive that Severus had purchased cakes. The man didn't cook, so how could he make something this good? "Where can you buy them?"

Harry's eyes widened as he understood what she was implying. He gave a minute shake of his head, which by the expression that flashed over her face he could tell Hermione caught. Luckily, Mum Weasley answered.

"I don't know Hermione, I've never seen anything like this anywhere." Molly looked over at her kids, knowing that one of them might have the answer. Each one shook their head no.

Severus had caught the implication, but opted not to react to it. It was a valid question, one that he could answer. "Nowhere. I created these years ago, but never thought to sell them. The process is a little finicky for most cooks, and they don't mass produce well."

George went back for a second one. "I would be more than willing to sell them in the shop. How finicky are they for potions brewers?"

Severus let his gaze rest on George for a long moment before answering. "As long as one has the right equipment and ingredients, difficult but not impossible. They do make your portable swamp look easy in comparison." It wasn't the Lava Cake so much as getting the measurements and the timing for the ingredients that made them erupt and harden that made them difficult.

George grinned. "If you don't mind us selling them, I would like to try."

Severus nodded slowly.

Ô.Õ & õ.õ

Harry set the empty trays in the kitchen, his mind running about trying to find the answer to the question that Hermione had asked him just before they left. He could see the same question in Ron's expression. If Severus could make something this good, why did he not cook for Harry?

He caught sight of Severus heading for his lab. Knowing that the man was going to clean it up, since he hadn't had time before they left, he followed to see if he could help. Stepping through the door, he spotted Severus stacking cauldrons into the sink and started them soaking. "Can I help?"

Severus spun about and stared at Harry. He never asked for help with cleaning, especially in his lab. He didn't want to remind Harry of the numerous detentions he had served during his school years. "You truly want to?"

Harry rolled his eyes. "I wouldn't have asked if I didn't."

Nodding slowly, Severus waited to see what Harry would pick to do.

Harry crossed over to the sink and started on the cauldrons. "Why don't you cook? I didn't even know you could. I was so worried that I had asked you to do something that you didn't know how to do while I was at work."

Severus put away the ingredient containers that littered the tables and cubbies around the lab. "You like to cook, and you dislike cleaning."

Harry stopped, scrubber in mid swipe. "You don't cook because I like to?"

The cloth stopped its motions over the table surface. "No, because you do not like to clean. You were forced to do so too long by others. So, since you expressed interest in cooking, I took over the cleaning and allowed you to cook."

Harry bent back over the cauldron he was scrubbing. "I wouldn't mind cleaning some if you wanted to help with the cooking."

Severus smiled lightly. "If that is your wish. What do you want for dinner tomorrow night?"

Harry spun about, grinning. "Surprise me."

Catching the bright green eyes in his gaze, Severus let his smile broaden. "I will endeavor to do so."


End file.
